Alkuna and the Chia
by Alkuna
Summary: A chia is trapped after an avalance blocks the entrance to a small cave. By the way, his rescuer is the Lupe, Alkuna...


Disclaimer: I don't own Neopets.com :p  
  
Alkuna and the Chia  
  
KeyKey the red Chia shuffled through the Ice Caves with his backpack on his back. He had a stack of scratch cards to buy at the kiosk for an upcoming party. He kept an eye warily on a family of Lupes that were playing in the snow with a pair of Kougras a short ways off.  
  
Suddenly there was an angry roar from the Snowager cave and a pet fled from the entrance with a frightened squeal. A whump echoed through the caves as the small entrance to its lair balked the pursuing Snowager.  
  
A long, slow creak began, followed by a heavy shuddering as part of a wall began to collapse.  
  
"Avalanche!" screamed half a dozen Neopians, and the crowds scattered.  
  
Keykey whirled and stared in terror as a section of the wall nearest to him cracked and tilted in his direction.  
  
"Look out you fool!" snarled something behind him, and then he was grabbed roughly and thrown into a small side cave, his rescuer sliding somewhat gracelessly in behind him.  
  
Snow exploded in on them, and when it settled Keykey saw that the entrance was plugged with snow and chunks of ice.  
  
He turned to thank his rescuer and found himself staring into the flame yellow eyes of a powerful cloud lupe.  
  
She curled her lip at him, exposing razor sharp fangs and a powerful jaw, "Fool Chia," she snapped roughly, "Ain't got the brains to get outta the way when there's a wall of snow commin' for your idiot head."  
  
She pawed him aside and began digging at the entrance, packing snow into a tunnel that sloped upward. "Well come on then, no sense just waiting for the rescuers to get the guts to start looking."  
  
"You...you saved me?" Keykey asked timidly.  
  
"Yeah, but don't read too far into it; I still think you're an idiot. And for all the aches that I will feel later for that stunt I sure hope you learned somethin' from it," she answered with a snort.  
  
Keykey looked and saw that she would be feeling more than just aches later on. Her glossy blue fur was slowly streaking red from a dozen ice cuts, and she was moving bravely but only had three legs to support her weight. She was leaning against the tunnel wall as she dug and growling softly to herself about sprains.  
  
"You're hurt..." he reached out hesitantly to touch her flank but she jerked out of reach of his touch.  
  
"Yeah well I'll deal with that when the crisis is over. C'mon and be useful. Start packing the snow I dislodge."  
  
Keykey obeyed, packing the snow as hard as he could to the walls of their tunnel. No sense having their tunnel collapse on them.  
  
The lupe was steadily tiring, and her leg seemed to be bothering her even more. Keykey normally had no love for Lupes but this one had saved him, and was showing no signs of wanting him for a meal so...  
  
The lupe paused for a few minutes to catch her breath and Keykey took the opportunity to pull a healing potion out of his backpack.  
  
"What's your name Lupe?" he asked, pulling the cork out of the neck of the bottle.  
  
"Alkuna," she responded shortly, "What were you thinking back there anyway?"  
  
"My name is Keykey. And to tell you the truth I wasn't," he admitted, squeezing up next to her, "I just froze up when I saw the wall coming. Ok, this may sting a bit but it's just a healing potion ok?" He carefully dribbled some of the potion on Alkuna's leg.  
  
"I kinda figured. You woulda run like crazy if you hadn't... ow." She twitched her head around to glare at him and paused as he held up the rest of the potion to her fanged jaws.  
  
"You got guts Chia," she grumbled reluctantly, "Most Chias I meet dissolve into sobbing puddles if they get so close to me. You're the first to be willing to get so close to my teeth."  
  
Alkuna deftly snagged the potion by the bottleneck and tilted her head back, swallowing the rest in one gulp.  
  
They rested in silence for several minutes as the potion took effect, then a sound warmed their hearts. "Alkuna! Alkuna are you all right?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm alright! Start digging will you? It's cold in here!" she called back.  
  
"She's alive! And in good health. Only Alkuna can be a grouch after an avalanche," they heard a gruff male lupe say.  
  
"Ok, were almost there. Is there anyone down there with you Alkuna?" called someone. It sounded like the kiosk Wocky. The steady scratching of vigorous digging was music to their ears.  
  
"Got a Chia with me. Says his name is Keykey." Alkuna slowly stood up and tested her leg, then nodded to Keykey and said in a low voice, "Thanks for the potion."  
  
"No problem."  
  
"Ok you guys, let a pro do this the right way," there was a shuffling, then a hiss and the blockade of snow melted away to reveal the Negg Faerie holding a Fireball negg.  
  
"Ok, everyone out of the hole. Lets be sure you two are ok and then we'll start clearing out the remains of the avalanche." Alkuna was helped out first, to be tightly hugged by her husband and teenage pups.  
  
Keykey came next and found himself looking at a pale white lupe.  
  
"You're the one Alkuna saved eh?" he asked mildly.  
  
Keykey nodded, "And the one who gave her a healing potion for her injuries."  
  
The white lupe looked at the streaks of red in Alkuna's fur and nodded briefly, "I thank you for that. She's grouchy, but I wouldn't overlook that heart of gold."  
  
"Yeah, I noticed." Keykey grinned as one of Alkuna's ears twitched sideways and she scowled.  
  
"If you're both done with the mush talk, I'm ready to go to Mystery Island for some nice warm sandy beaches and not a trace of snow for miles."  
  
The white lupe grinned and rolled his eyes good naturedly, "And before you were looking forward to some snowball fights."  
  
Alkuna scooped up a snowball and stuffed it in his mouth, "Oh hush up Silverblur," she teased him.  
  
KeyKey waddled up and patted Alkuna on the nose lightly, "Thanks furball. I owe you one."  
  
Alkuna's mouth quirked into an almost-friendly smile, "No problem midnight snack. Just make sure you react next time." Her tail twitched and the family of Lupes moved off to the entrance to the caves. 


End file.
